“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;”
My Notes
What Does Luke 21:25 Mean?
Luke 21:25 describes the cosmic prelude to Christ's return — and the description moves from the sky to the earth to the sea, covering every domain of creation. "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars" — kai esontai sēmeia en hēliō kai selēnē kai astrois. Signs — sēmeia, visible markers, supernatural indicators, phenomena that communicate meaning. The celestial bodies that have governed time, seasons, and navigation since Genesis 1:14 will display disruptions that signal the end of the age as it currently exists.
"And upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity" — kai epi tēs gēs sunochē ethnōn en aporia. Sunochē — distress, anguish, the feeling of being hemmed in with no escape. Aporia — perplexity, literally without a passage, without a way through. The nations — ethnōn, the peoples of the world — will be distressed and perplexed simultaneously. Not just suffering but suffering without understanding why or how to stop it. The confusion compounds the anguish.
"The sea and the waves roaring" — ēchousēs thalassēs kai salou. The sea — the domain of chaos in biblical imagery — roars. Ēchousēs — sounding, thundering, producing the noise of uncontrollable power. Salou — waves, billows, the surging of water that can't be restrained.
Verse 26 extends: "Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth." The anticipation of what's coming produces cardiac-level dread. Hearts literally failing — apopsuchō, fainting, losing life-force — because of fear. The signs aren't subtle. They're terrifying enough to produce physiological collapse in those who see them.
But verse 28 provides the counterpoint: "when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." The same signs that produce terror in the world produce hope in the believer.
Reflection Questions
- 1.When the systems you rely on are shaken, do you respond with the nations' perplexity or with the believer's hope?
- 2.What does 'look up' mean practically when everything around you is destabilized?
- 3.How do the same signs produce terror in some and hope in others? What determines which response is yours?
- 4.Where are you already experiencing 'distress with perplexity' — suffering you can't explain or solve?
Devotional
The sun goes dark. The nations panic. The sea roars. Hearts fail. And Jesus says: look up.
The end of the age arrives not in whispers but in disruptions so massive they affect every domain — celestial (sun, moon, stars), terrestrial (distress of nations), and maritime (sea roaring). The stable systems that humanity depends on — the sun for warmth, the stars for navigation, the nations for order, the oceans for boundaries — all of them destabilized simultaneously. The world that felt permanent reveals its contingency. The systems that felt reliable prove they were borrowed.
The response of the nations: distress with perplexity. Not just suffering — confused suffering. Aporia — without a way through. The intellectuals can't explain it. The leaders can't solve it. The systems can't contain it. The nations look at each other and nobody has an answer. The perplexity is worse than the distress because it strips away the illusion that someone is in control.
Men's hearts failing them for fear. The anticipation itself becomes lethal. Not the events — the looking after, the expectation of what's coming. The fear of the future produces physical collapse in the present. Hearts stop because minds can't handle what's approaching.
But verse 28 flips the entire instruction: when you see these things, look up. Lift up your heads. The same signs that kill the world's hope ignite the believer's. The disruptions that signal the end of everything the world trusts are the signals that your redemption is near. The darkening sun and roaring sea aren't evidence that God has lost control. They're evidence that God is about to step in.
Two postures before the same events: hearts failing with fear, or heads lifting with hope. The difference isn't courage. It's orientation — what you're looking at. The nations look down at the chaos. The redeemed look up at the Redeemer.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
When they now shoot forth,.... Their buds, branches, and leaves; the Vulgate Latin adds, "of themselves":
ye see and…
The account of the destruction of Jerusalem contained in this chapter has been fully considered in the notes at Matt.…
The sea and the waves roaring - Figuratively pointing out the immense Roman armies by which Judea was to be overrun and…
Having given them an idea of the times for about thirty-eight years next ensuing, he here comes to show them what all…
signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars The articles should be omitted. These signs are mainly metaphorical…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture